Within a couple of years, NIU will have some new neighbors.

Michael Suhadolnik, owner and CEO of Construx of Illinois, Inc., bought 190 acres of land near the university and is proposing to build a 900-unit subdivision called Savannah Green. The land is west of Suburban Estates, on the south side of Twombly Road and north of the Convocation Center.

Along with 877 new homes, the new community also will house a community center and a shopping center.

The community center will feature adult and toddler swimming pools and have several office spaces. There also will be coffee and ice cream shops, along with 15 retail stores.

“They won’t be competing with any of the other ones in the area,” Suhadolnik said.

Suhadolnik first decided to build new houses here when demographics of the area were completed. Another factor was the proximity to DeKalb and the university.

“It’s a great community,” Suhadolnik said. “There is a lot of growth outside of the community and it’s close to several other cities.”

So far in the planning process, a rough draft of the preliminary plans have been made. However, the plans haven’t been submitted to the city for approval.

“He approached the city staff to talk about the concepts,” Mayor Greg Sparrow said. “He hasn’t come in with any plans, as of yet.”

Savannah Green will hold a variety of houses, Suhadolnik said. The cost of the houses will average about $130,000.

The community will be built through private funding from the company. There won’t be any assistance from the city, Sparrow said.

If approval for the plans go through, construction will begin during the late fall and should be completed in five years.

The Savannah Green community is getting a positive response.

“People like the concept of a community within a community,” Sparrow said.

Suhadolnik also has built Savannah Green communities in other college towns such as Urbana, Normal, Peoria and Springfield.

“It seemed natural DeKalb would be the next one,” Suhadolnik said.

The houses of Savannah Green are well insulated and have high quality windows, Suhadolnik said. There will be a 35-year warranty on the roof, and basements have water proof walls, which means they’ll be ready to finish.

Savannah Green houses also follow strict environmental rules. They were recognized by the Illinois Lung Association as “Healthy Homes” this past spring.

Finished products have little to no levels of volatile organic compounds and wood products come from certified forests, Suhadolnik said.

“We follow those rules voluntarily,” Suhadolnik said. “Nobody says we have to.”

If there should be any problems with the new community, it’s whether the school district will be able to handle the number of students that may come in. The solution is yet to be determined.

“It depends on the demographics of the area,” said Don Robinson, District 428 School Board President. “Whatever happens, we’ll work with the city of DeKalb.”